


Redemption Lessons

by bloodasthickasink



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Also Marilyn is meant to be a stand-in for the reader fyi, Angst, Don't worry this is a redemption story, Dr. Strange is a major dick and an arrogant bastard, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Slow Burn, This is also going to be angsty as fuck for at least five chapter fyi, eventual loki/strange/reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-03 20:39:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15826515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodasthickasink/pseuds/bloodasthickasink
Summary: "The day misspent,the love misplaced,has inside itthe seed of redemption.Nothing is exemptfrom resurrection."- Kay Ryan, "Say Uncle"Dr. Strange took on his one and only student, Marilyn. He hurt her and may have even broke her. Five years later, he has a chance to teach her again, to redeem himself and fix his wrongs. But is he capable?





	1. Prologue

Doctor Stephen Strange never took on new students. He actively disliked it, truth be told. He would bargain for information, and maybe even trade if the mood struck him, but he never considered anyone to be a student. It was one of his more nasty habits from his years in the OR. He inevitable was made to take on students. His personality combined with his dislike of being told what to do often made him lash out at the students, making them cry or quit medicine entirely. Even at the time, he knew it was a contemptable habit, but he couldn’t bring himself to care too much. After the Accident and everything that followed, he realized that, perhaps, it was a trait he needed to work on. Well, more Wong heavily encouraged him to work on it. The Cloak of Levitation even sided with Wong on this. As much as a sentient piece of cloth can side with someone in an argument. So, Dr. Strange took on a student. He wouldn’t admit it, but part of him was secretly hoping that perhaps he would be able to redeem himself in some way or fashion.

It went as well as one would expect.

The student was actually rather promising. Her name was Marilyn, although she looked more like Audrey Hepburn than her namesake. She was bright and more intelligent than most. She had gone to Duke for undergrad and gotten her Masters in Philosophy at Emory. She had been on track to get her PhD, which Strange did begrudgingly think was admirable, even if it was in the humanities. That’s when misfortune befell her, causing her to turn to magic. Her father had been diagnosed with cancer between her graduating from college and going into a Masters program. He lived for several more years, but then, tragedy struck. She had been very close with her father and took his death hard. She ended up in a downward spiral that almost killed her. She wouldn’t disclose more than that, but the former surgeon had the feeling that she attempted suicide during the spiral. Perhaps multiple times. Eventually, she got help but found that Western practices were not enough, so she turned to the spiritual. She admitted that she always had been drawn to magic even from a very young age. Perhaps this is was the Universe’s way of telling her which direction she needed to go.

Training her went well for the first several months. Dr. Strange was able to keep some of his arrogance at bay for a while. It helped that she seemed to be a natural at it. Not as much as he was, obviously, but far more than most. He actually grew to enjoy her company. That was what set off the train that derailed everything. He found as several more months passed that he considered her a friend. That normally wouldn’t cause him to follow his more ingrained instincts. No, it was the fact that he developed an attraction to her. At first, he had simply assumed it was just a sexual one. She tended to appear in his thoughts quite often when he found himself alone. Yes, it bothered him, but he could deal with it. Well, he thought he could. Looking back on it, he realized he didn’t deal with it at all. He became more snappy and arrogant, slowly slipping back. What truly triggered the transformation back into his old demeanor was his realization that he loved her. Well, not necessarily loved her. He was romantically attracted to her.

It wasn’t long after that before everything fell apart. 

The Sorcerer Supreme really did a number on her. She had never failed to be vocal about her feelings and when he was crossing a line, but this time… She had said absolutely nothing. She became cold and distant. Part of him tried to justify it. He couldn’t let her reciprocate whatever it was he felt for her. He’d hurt her. He was a selfish, arrogant, entitled ashole, and he refused to hurt her in that fashion. It was better for her to be repulsed by him than love him, or even be his friend. The relationship needed to be strictly professional.

It worked, far better than he expected.

He had woken up one morning. The Cloak of Levitation was nowhere to be found in his chambers, which was odd but not unexpected. It did have a mind of its own, so maybe it had found something highly entertaining and focused on that. He summoned a portal and made his way to find food and tea. Levi, the Cloak, was waiting for him. It looked like a kicked puppy, sulking in a corner. He tried to talk to Levi, but it merely turned its back to him. He could swear he was getting the evil eye from it. 

“What happened?” Strange finally snapped. “What in the world is wrong?”

It seemed as if Levi had been waiting for that. It wrapped itself around his wrists and forearms and began dragging him to an unknown destination. The pair stopped in front of the door to Marilyn’s chambers. He stood there, quirking a confused eyebrow at Levi. Levi merely pushed him towards the door. Slowly, he opened it.

The room was empty. No sign that anyone had been living there for almost a year. It was spotless, immaculate. No trace of Marilyn remained. Well, one trace did. On the bed lay a note, written in her handwriting. He knew what it was before he even went over to read it.

 _Dr. Strange_ It began. He didn’t read the rest, just jumped to the end. He didn’t need to read the contents. He probably didn’t even need to read the end, but… He had to know. He had to.

_Goodbye, Strange. Despite everything you’ve done to me, know that some part of me will always miss you. I’m a sentimental piece of garbage that way._

_Don’t look for me; I don’t want to be found._

_Your former student, and perhaps more in another lifetime,_

_Marilyn_

 

He felt as if he’d been struck. He stood there, staring blankly at the paper. The urge to ball it up and throw it was strong. He resisted. Instead, he folded it up neatly and put it in his pocket. He hated to keep a reminder of his failures, but this… This seemed like one he needed to keep. Levi came over to him. It hovered behind him, as if it wanted to comfort him but didn’t know how. Strange swallowed. The rest of the day went by as a blur. He didn’t remember any of it, just knew that he was on autopilot. He felt numb. It was a familiar sensation to him, so he let himself stay numb. It was better to be numb than to be angry, and if he allowed himself to feel for even a second, he would be furious. He knew, deep down, that he would do something that he would regret, something even more terrible than what he had already done.

Getting out of bed the next day proved to be difficult. The next day was worse. The third day after Marilyn left, well… He didn’t. He figured it was his body’s way of telling him he had over-exerted himself. He finally cried that day, although he was loathed to admit it. Sobbed was a better word. He curled up in a ball and sobbed. Eventually, he forced himself to move, if only to get water so he wouldn’t be dehydrated. That, and he needed pain meds. Crying always gave him a splitting headache. Thoughts of going after her swirled around his brain. He shut them down. She clearly didn’t want to be found; she had even stated so in her letter. Besides, she deserved to be left alone. After what he must have put her through, he couldn’t bear to do something like that to her again.

He managed to get out of bed the next day, the fourth day. Slowly, life returned to normal, and Marilyn became a lingering regret. One that still hurt when he thought about it, that stung as if he was peeling off a nasty scab and rubbing salt into the wound. But it was slowly pushed back down into his thoughts. It was never entirely forgotten, though.

There was a reason he never took on another student.

Five years passed.

He went by the Hong Kong Sanctum to check on how things there were. The moment he stepped foot into it, he was practically besieged with requests to train a new student. They were apparently good, so good that everyone else had trouble keeping up with and training them. They apparently wanted to continue learning, gather all the information that they could, but no one had a way to keep up with them. He was the only one that could do so. Strange couldn’t help preening a little bit; as much as he tried to work on his arrogance, it was always flattering to receive such information. He asked generic questions. How long had they been practicing? What exactly made this person so special? Why should he train them? 

One question made him pause.

“What is this mystery person’s name?” He asked.

“Marilyn.” The man replied.

_Oh._

A fresh wave of guilt wracked him. Both for how he treated her and how he had delayed her progress. It seemed as if he hadn’t pushed her away, she would be one of the best in the world. Perhaps he even would have decided to have her run a Sanctum, although he doubted that. Something told him he would have wanted to keep her in New York with him. 

He had a choice, now. He could either respect her wishes, or he could force her back into his life again. Even as he took the time to think about it, he knew what his answer would be.

He was still, at his very core, a selfish bastard.  
“I’ll do it.” He agreed. His colleague couldn’t help the smile that broke onto his face. “Do you already have her agreement, or am I to speak with her about it?”

“We have spoken to her about the possibility. I don’t see why she’d turn it down, though. Let me go tell her.” The man scurried off before Strange could stop him. Not that he really wanted to.

Silently, Strange hoped. He hoped that he could prove himself, redeem himself. He hoped that he wouldn’t make her hate him even more.


	2. Supercilious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for how flowery my writing is. Apparently reading Lovecraft a lot makes you write like him. Who knew?

Dr. Strange most certainly was not excited to see his former, now new?, student. Not at all. He feigns boredom as he leans against a bookshelf, flipping through an old and tense tome. 

The former surgeon hadn’t seen Marilyn at the Hong Kong Sanctum until the last night. He was given the distinct impression she was avoiding him. It was the night before he left, and he had been about to retire for the night when a knocking on his door interrupted him. He sighed. At least he still had pants on so he could answer quickly. Get the whole ordeal over with. He swung open the door and paused. Marilyn gave him a shy smile.

“Hi.” She breathed. He cleared his throat, letting go of the door and leaning against the door frame.

“Uh, yes. Hi.” _Smooth_ Strange thought. _Real smooth_.

“Can I…?” She gestured vaguely behind him. He nodded and stepped out of the way.

“Of course.” She stepped by him into the room. The minute she stepped in, Levi came out of nowhere in order to wrap himself around her. It was like watching a puppy greet someone they hadn’t seen in a while. Marilyn smiled and began to laugh as Levi continually wrapped himself around her, weaving around her like a cat.

“I get it! I get it! You missed me!” She managed as she swatted Levi away. “I missed you too.” The Cloak seemed happy at that and went over to Strange, settling around his shoulders. Despite the fact that she had been laughing seconds ago, Marilyn’s face fell when she looked at Strange. The two stared at each other, unsure of what to say.

“I just-“  
“I’m so-“

The two of them began speaking at the same time. A smile tugged on the corner of her lips, and he couldn’t responding. 

“You go first.” He told her. She shook her head.

“No, you.” She sighed. “What I was going to say doesn’t really matter.”

“Ladies first.” He countered. “And for what it’s worth, I do believe it will matter.” The unspoken _to me_ lingered in the air. She shrugged. He could tell she was trying to act casual.

“I, uuummm….” She paused to run her hands over her face and through her hair. “I just- I wanted to apologize. I shouldn’t have run out like that. I should have talked to you and told you what was bothering me. It was… cowardly of me. Doing what I did.” Dr. Strange held up a hand to stop her.

“Don’t.” He told her softly. “I should be the one apologizing. I was far too harsh on you. I-” He cut himself off. He wanted to say more, but apologies didn’t come naturally to him. He struggled for words. Thankfully, his companion seemed to sense that.

“You were.” Her words were quiet as well. “And I appreciate you acknowledging that you did. But it’s also my fault too. I should have said something. Should have let you know.” She let out a strangled laugh. “Guess I’m a fuck-up, huh?” Her words surprised him. She said the last bit as if parroting something someone had said to her. He’d never called her that. Although towards the end of the events, he did heavily imply it. A wave of anger surged through him, and he wanted to murder whomever had said that to her directly. Instead, he took a deep breath and stepped forward hesitantly.

“You are not.” He told her firmly. “As I said before, I am the one who should be apologizing. I- I took out my emotions on you, and that was not fair to you. I lashed out, and I should not have done so.” He paused. “I-I regret everything. What I did to you. That is the reason I didn’t try to find you.” He swallowed. A headache was beginning to form, and he hoped it wasn’t because he was going to start crying. He wanted to say more, but he wasn’t sure exactly what to say. The words _I’m sorry_ seemed to be the most appropriate, but he couldn’t find it within himself to say them. A gentle hand on his bicep made him look up. Marilyn gave him a slim smile.

“I know you’re sorry. I wish you could say it, but I know you are.” She murmured quietly, almost too quietly for him to hear. She began to speak again, this time at a normal volume. He took it as a cue to not bring it up or ask her to repeat herself. “I appreciate your apology.” She let go of his arm and turned away from him, going further into the room.

“I guess I kind of accept it?” She called over her shoulder. “I mean, I do and I don’t, if that makes any sense.”

“It doesn’t.” He told her as he followed her. She laughed at that, a humorless sound.

“A better way to describe it is that I accept your apology, but I don’t forgive you.” She turned to face him again. “I might be capable of forgiveness, I might not. It depends on you.” He blinked. “I’m accepting you as my teacher. I’m just not accepting you as my friend. If things go well, I think I can forgive you.” He nodded.

“Only fair.” He conceded. “I didn’t exactly except you to coming running back to me. I didn’t expect you to accept the offer.” She let out another laugh, this one a little more happy.

“I almost didn’t.” She told him, an odd glint in her eyes. “But then I realized it’s a learning opportunity for the both of us.”

“How so?” He quirked an eyebrow at that.

“Well, I’ll actually get to learn something useful, and you’ll get to learn how to actually treat someone right.” Her tone was teasing, but he knew her. He knew her words were serious. He nodded. She gave him a small smile before stepping around him, headed towards the door. She paused right outside of it, a hand lingering on the door frame.

“Goodnight, Strange.” She murmured. 

“Goodnight, Marilyn.” He responded.

“You mean Dr. Marilyn.” She told him. A wicked grin began to spread across her face. “I got my PhD before I came back to practicing magic.” 

“Goodnight, Dr. Marilyn.” He intoned. Her grin became wider.

“I’ll see in the morning to discuss when I’ll be moving back and all that.” With that, she was gone. He closed the door. For a moment, he just stood there. The meeting had gone far better than expected, and he was relieved. The fact that she had come to talk to him of her own volition alone made him feel somewhat better. He still felt guilty, but it wasn’t as strong. Those thoughts swam through his mind as he attempted to meditate before going to sleep.

Now, as he waits for her to show up at the New York Sanctum, he thinks over the interaction. He had missed her, still does if he’s honest. His chest seems a little tight, and it feels like there’s a faint buzzing sensation just under his rib cage. He tries to squash it down and ignore it. He’s just glad that he’ll have someone back with him in the Sanctum again. It did get rather lonely, so it was going to be nice to have company.

Orange light brings him out of his thoughts. The portal opens soon enough, and Marilyn steps through. She gives him a small smile.

“Sorry I’m late-ish.” She tells him. “I went ahead and moved all my stuff back in to my old room.” 

“You could have picked a different one, you know.” He informs her. She narrows her eyes in response.

“Do you have a room in mind…?” One of her eyebrows goes into her hairline. He shakes his head slightly.

“I don’t. I just thought you might like a new one.” He pauses to run his tongue over his lower teeth. It briefly flicks out to go over his lower lip. “It would be beneficial for your room to be closer to mine in case of an emergency, but do you.” She laughs at that, tilting her head back as she does so. He can’t help the small smile that tugs on the corners of his lips.

“Stick to medical terminology and words that show off your fancy Harvard education.” She steps more into the room. “Besides, I do what I want and what I please, and that staying in that room is what pleases me.” She looks around the foyer as she speaks. The shift to the library is easy. He smirks at her when she gives him a look.

“Thought you might want a dictionary for all my ‘words that show off my fancy Harvard education’.” He can’t help teasing her. “I understand that to getting into Emory doesn’t require an extensive lexicon.” She moves towards one of the bookshelves.

“Joke’s on you. I finished up my PhD at Yale. Turns out writing about you managed to turn your life around after getting involved with drugs and alcohol to numb the pain of your dad dying makes a hell of an application essay.” She runs her fingers along the spine of a book. He mock shudders.

“Yale. Even worse. I thought more of you.” She laughs again.

“You’re so supercilious.” She slides the book off the shelf. He quirks an eyebrow, crossing his arms.

“Who’s showing off their Ivy League education now?” He challenges. She snorts. Her hands move almost lovingly over the cover of the tome in her hands before she gently flips it open.

“I’m not.” She moves towards one of the chairs as she skims the pages. “I just said you were supercilious.”

“A five-dollar word for arrogant. But sure, yeah, you’re not showing off.” He follows her, settling in the chair across from the one she picks.

“Really?” She drawls when she looks up at him. Apparently being up in the Northeast for a few years hadn’t really changed her southern accent. “I just thought it meant you were silly.” He looks at her for a moment, eyes narrowing. Normally, he’d assume that someone was telling the truth when they said something like that, but he had a feeling she was messing with him. She grins when she sees the look on his face.

“Oh my God, you really thought that’s what I thought it meant?” She practically cackles. He huffs, leaning back in his chair.

“You went to Yale. Who knows what idiotic thing you’d say next.” He mumbles. He’s certainly not pouting. That earns him another laugh. The two of them stay in silence for the next several moments. It’s not an awkward silence, far from it. It’s a comfortable one. Strange finds that he’s missed this. He always enjoys having someone to talk to that can keep up with him. Sure, Tony could do in a pinch, but it _was_ Tony Stark. Stephen was aware that he was arrogant, but he knew for a fact that he couldn’t be as arrogant as the billionaire. 

As Marilyn sits and reads, he watches her. Maybe even takes her in. She’s changed since she’s left, but that’s to be expected. The circles around her eyes are slightly more pronounced, but that probably had something to do with getting a PhD. It’s nothing that she couldn’t sleep off or cover up with make-up. Her hair is longer. Oddly enough, her eyes are brighter than they were before she left. That observation nearly makes him sick to his stomach. It makes him feel like he’s the reason she didn’t have a sparkle in her eyes towards the end of everything. He distracts himself by moving on to another part. He’s pleased to note she’s gained more muscle. She’s leaner. Her upper arms could actually be called biceps. It seems that the martial arts training in Hong Kong must have paid off. 

“You’re staring.” She informs him. He huffs. “It’s okay, I’d stare at me too.” She has the audacity to look over her book and wink at him. 

“I was observing.” His protest seems weak, even to himself. She closes the book and shifts in her chair so she’s facing him. She closes her eyes for a second. A wave of calm seems to seep through her entire body. When she opens her eyes, they’re shiny, almost as if she’s on the verge of tears.

“I’ve missed it here.” She tells him, her voice soft. “I-I thought I’d hate it, being back here, but it- God, it feels like home.” Her voice cracks slightly at the end, making her admission sound rougher than it is. He wants to stand up, wants to go over there and put a hand on her shoulder, but he doesn’t. It doesn’t feel like the right move. Yes, the two of them had been bantering back and forth like old buddies, but that didn’t mean everything had been magically fixed.

“It has been lonely without company.” He finally says. It seems to be the best way to express his feelings without overstepping any boundaries. That, and he wasn’t sure he could define his feelings at that particular moment. Marilyn graces him with a small smile.

“I’d hate to think that you were lonely.” She drawls, although it lacks any heat behind it. It’s clear she knows the meaning behind his words. She looks at him. He can see she wants to say something, has the words on the tip of her tongue. But they don’t come. Instead, she looks at the floor for a second before looking back at him.

“So tell me.” She moves the book to the nearest table before placing her elbows on her knees. She settles her chin in her hands. “What disasters have you had to deal with since I was gone? Have you remained undetected? How much have the Avengers fucked you over lately?” He can’t help smirking at the last one. Oh, if only she knew. He begins filling her in on the major events of the past five years. She seems to get a particular kick out of the fact he trapped Loki in an unending fall when he tells her about his visit from the two Gods. 

“That’s actually genius.” She says. He has to force himself not to preen at that. He does, however, let himself smirk. “Have they caused any more trouble?”

“No. At least, not yet.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Asgard was destroyed, so Thor is looking for a home for his people. He’s thinking here.”

“Of course.” Her tone matches his eye roll. “Where here, though? New York here or…?”

“Norway. And you know I’d be responsible for them, even if they aren’t in my district.” He sighs. 

“See if they’ll take Minnesota. Or Wisconsin.” She suggests. He resists the urge to laugh.

“Thor’s father went into exile in Norway, so I think we won’t be able to convince them that another place will do.” He rubs his temples briefly. “I’m supposed to meet with Thor and Loki tomorrow to discuss all of this. I know that Thor will want Loki to be able to stay with them and won’t take no for an answer unless proven it’s a bad idea, so I’ll have to come up with some sort of way to see if Loki changed enough to stay on Earth.”

“Glad you didn’t use the word ‘trustworthy’ because he’ll never be that.” She lilts. “You have no plan?”

“Not at the moment, no.” He has to resist the urge to snap at her. He quietly reminds himself it’s not her that he’s mad at but rather the two Gods.

“Have him stay here for a while.” She suggest as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. Strange turns to look at her, a quizzical expression on his face. She shrugs.

“Think about it! You’ve already managed to contain him once, so I’m sure you can get the jump on him again. Levi is always going to be in your corner no matter what. And I’m here. Sure, I’m not on your level, but I’d say I’m pretty damn good.”

“Yes, but you’re forgetting that this is a God we’re talking about.” He does snap this time. She doesn’t flinch, much to his surprise. Instead, she stands up.

“So?” She challenges. She begins pacing, moving her hands as she speaks. “Look, you can’t just say no because Thor will throw a hissy-fit. You can’t just let him go because you have no unbiased source to tell you past behavior. So the most logical choice is to keep him here. While it might be easier to keep him imprisoned in here, it’s not really that ethical, and kind of cruel, to just have him live out the rest of his unnaturally long life in a glorified cage. Which leaves us with keep him here. And don’t try to say the Avengers could take him because that would be a hot fucking mess.” He snorts at the last part.

“Giving him to the Avengers isn’t even a possibility.” He tells her. “And you’re assuming a lot of things. For instance, if we do just let him stay here, what’s stopping him from taking an artifact and attempting to take over the world again? Or killing us in our sleep? And that’s not even covering the endless tricks he has at his disposal.” She holds up a hand to stop him.

“We guarantee that by prepping a cell for him in case anything goes wrong. And we let him know it’s there, and we aren’t afraid to use it. As for tricks, I’ve got that covered.” Strange gives her a blank stare.

“Oh? Enlighten me. How do you have tricks from the God of Mischief covered?” He can’t help his derisive tone. She narrows her eyes at him.

“You remember when I came here, I thought that I might have been a trickster? And that my specialty is trickster magic?”

“As a rule, tricksters generally tend to not get along.” He responds.   
“Oh, that’s the best part. I’m _not_ a trickster. I know just enough to keep up with him and keep his interest, and I am known to oblivious enough to just walk into a trap sometimes.” She crosses her arms, looking pleased with herself. “And we also have another punishment we can resort to. Ignoring him. He fucking feeds off attention, so if he needs to be kept in line, but it doesn’t warrant being put in a cell, we just ignore him.” She looks at Strange’s face. It’s clear that he’s not exactly thrilled with the idea presented.

“I’ll check the timelines.” He eventually concedes. “I doubt your plan will have a high chance of being selected.”

As it was, Marilyn’s place was the one with the best odds. Overall, it had an 80% chance of success. It was an 60% chance that Loki would actually behave and be able to go to New Asgard. Another 20% chance that Loki ended up behaving but decided on living at the Sanctum. 5% he ended up fleeing and hiding, never to be heard from again. 5% he did the same thing as the option before but came back to terrorize the population. The remaining 10% was an amalgamation of endings. Despite his reticence, Strange had to admit that it was the best course.

His reticence was caused by two things. The first being he never liked to admit when he was wrong. The second was more personal. He found that in the 20% wherein Loki ended up staying at the Sanctum, about 50% he ended up staying because of an attraction to Marilyn. Of that 50%, 60% of it was due to the fact that he and Marilyn began a relationship. Strange was tempted to explore the likelihood of that relationship panning out but ended up deciding against it. He wasn’t sure if it was because he couldn’t do it in good conscious or because he didn’t want to deal with the fact she very well may stay with Loki.

“Alright.” The former surgeon tells his companion once he’s done examining the timelines. “We’ll proceed with your solution.” She gives him a wide grin.

“Really? Shit, I didn’t expect that!” He rolls his eyes at her, although it’s not as derisive a gesture as it normally is. 

“Yes, well, you proved me wrong.” He drawls. Marilyn laughs at that. She turns back and settles back in her chair. The two begin to go over the training plans, both of terms in what they will cover and what the schedule will be. Obviously, they discuss the fact that things will shift depending on whether or not they have to save the world and whether or not Loki would be cooperative. The current plan was to work on meditative techniques in the early part of the morning and then actually practicing magic. Martial arts would be brought in during the afternoon at some point. Obviously, she would be given reading to go over at night.

Eventually, Marilyn excuses herself. Strange picks up a book and begins leafing through it. He hears her pause at the door. He turns. She’s mostly out of the door, but she’s left one of her hands on the doorframe. He looks at her expectantly. She looks as if she wants to say something important.

“Good night, Stephen.” She seems to settle on that. “I’ll see you in the morning.” She disappears around the corner again. He’s reminded of his last night in Hong Kong. She seemed to want to say something more when they spoke but didn’t. He goes back to his reading. He concentrates and separates his temporal form and spiritual form. As his temporal goes through the book in his hands, his spiritual goes to find another tome. After several minutes, his physical body stops. He sets the book down gently. His mind is too preoccupied with thoughts of what Marilyn might have wanted to say for him to concentrate on the words. It bothers him. He’s never had this problem before, and he doesn’t like it in the slightest. These thoughts follow him and haunt him for the rest of the night until he goes to sleep.


End file.
